Journal article
Brain activation in the processing of Chinese characters and words: A functional MRI study
Human brain mapping, Vol.10(1), pp.16-27
05/2000
DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0193(200005)10:1<16::AID-HBM30>3.0.CO;2-M
PMID: 10843515
Abstract
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to identify the neural correlates of Chinese character and word reading. The Chinese stimuli were presented visually, one at a time. Subjects covertly generated a word that was semantically related to each stimulus. Three sorts of Chinese items were used: single characters having precise meanings, single characters having vague meanings, and two-character Chinese words. The results indicated that reading Chinese is characterized by extensive activity of the neural systems, with strong left lateralization of frontal (BAs 9 and 47) and temporal (BA 37) cortices and right lateralization of visual systems (BAs 17-19), parietal lobe (BA 3), and cerebellum. The location of peak activation in the left frontal regions coincided nearly completely both for vague- and precise-meaning characters as well as for two-character words, without dissociation in laterality patterns. In addition, left frontal activations were modulated by the ease of semantic retrieval. The present results constitute a challenge to the deeply ingrained belief that activations in reading single characters are right lateralized, whereas activations in reading two-character words are left lateralized
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Brain activation in the processing of Chinese characters and words: A functional MRI study
- Creators
- Li Hai Tan - Cognitive Science Program, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong KongJohn A Spinks - Cognitive Science Program, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong KongJia-Hong Gao - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioHo-Ling Liu - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioCharles A Perfetti - Learning Research and Development Center, University of PittsburghJinhu Xiong - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioKathryn A Stofer - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioYonglin Pu - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioYijun Liu - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioPeter T Fox - Research Imaging Center, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Human brain mapping, Vol.10(1), pp.16-27
- DOI
- 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0193(200005)10:1<16::AID-HBM30>3.0.CO;2-M
- PMID
- 10843515
- NLM abbreviation
- Hum Brain Mapp
- ISSN
- 1065-9471
- eISSN
- 1097-0193
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons, Inc
- Number of pages
- 12
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 05/2000
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Record Identifier
- 9984083890002771
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